Four Sports Franchises With Painful Moves

I think it’s safe to say that sports are great. They provide joy to millions and allow a community to get together for a common cause and revel in the atmosphere. That being said, sports teams don’t really owe their fans any loyalty and they move at the whims of owners and business climates. With that in mind, here are 4 of the most painful moves sports franchises have put their fans through.

The LA Rams move to St. Louis: While most people know the St. Louis Rams, they were a Los Angeles team first (which is hilarious because now they’re trying to go back to where they originally left). The Rams originally left LA in 1995, after reaching the Super Bowl with the city in 1979. With their fan base having more or less abandoned them by the time they moved (they had originally been moved to Anaheim), it’ll be interesting to see how they’re received when they go back to LA.

Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles: The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1957 and the loss is still painful for people who remember the team playing on the east coast. While they, along with the movement of the New York Giants, brought baseball to the west coast, that is a small consolation to the fans who had grown up loving and rooting for their local team. Plus they were incredibly successful in Brooklyn, something that hasn’t really happened in the same way since the move.

Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore: While the Browns are back in Cleveland probably for good, they were moved to Baltimore for three years in 1995. Cleveland fans replied to the loss by setting fires in the newly revamped (in an attempt to keep the team around) stadium when the team left. Even though the team is back now, it has never recovered and are pretty terrible.

Seattle Supersonics move to Oklahoma City: Even though the Seattle fans were known for buying out all the tickets to basically every game, the team was still moved. While it may be painful for Seattle fans, they should be happy knowing that the Thunder still haven’t won a championship, even though they have one of the best rosters in the league.

These are only four of the many painful franchise movements that have occurred since professionals sports burst onto the scene. If you’d like to read more, the link is here.